Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that corona pandemic has affected the street vendors involved in small business the most but the State Government stands beside them.

Madhya Pradesh tops in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (P.M. Swa Nidhi) scheme, which is being implemented in the State to help the street vendors to continue their business and to increase it.

Chouhan said that  maximum benefit of the scheme will be given to small businessmen like  vegetable vendors, people running chaat shops and related to tailoring works besides tea sellers in the State, so that all these can be saved from the burden of interest and can conduct their business smoothly for the sustenance of their families. 

The Government will lend full support to the people doing small businesses to remove their economic difficulties. The Chief Minister Chouhan was holding talks with the street vendors of the State through Video conferencing from Mantralaya.

Street vendors were very joyous to have very affectionate conversation with the Chief Minister Chouhan and most of them addressed Chief Minister Chouhan as Mama.

The Chief Minister said that under the scheme, the process of providing identity cards to all registered street vendors in the State should be completed.

He said that the scheme will be reviewed constantly. Apart from urban street vendors, a scheme to provide interest free assistance of Rs 10,000 is being implemented for the street vendors of rural areas of the state. On timely repayment of the loan, double amount i.e. Rs 20,000 will be sanctioned next year.

Chouhan further said that many times, a person engaged in small business spent all his life time in paying off the debt. Under this scheme, the beneficiary will have a facility to repay the loan in one year and business of everyone will get boost because of the loan without interest.

The Government will take the loan guarantee. Many businessmen who had shut down the business will now be able to restart their business.

Chouhan held talks with the beneficiaries of various districts. Most of the beneficiaries believed that the Government has lent them a great help during the crisis.

Pooja Rathore of Anuppur is involved in tailoring work. She had started sewing work in January this year after purchasing 4 new machines. She never expected the corona virus crisis. Pooja told that her business was shut, she also ran out of the savings and became indebted.

Meanwhile, under the State Government's Jeevan Shakti Yojana, she made 200 masks and got an amount of Rs 2200. With Rs 10,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Swa-Nidhi yojana, she is able to restart her business.

Shri Pankaj Yadav of Agar does the business of selling glasses and purses etc. He too has recived the amount under the scheme and happy that his business will go on smoothly now. Santosh Joshi of Bhopal is vegetable vendor.

He was disappointed during the lockdown period. Now he hopes that he will be able to save at least Rs 300 per day. Gopal of Bhind is also a vegetable vendor.

He sincerely hopes that there will no longer be any difficulty in conducting his business.